


fix your gaze on me

by BansheeLydia



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, F/F, Fluff, Mild Sexual Content, Model Lydia, Photographer Laura, Pining, Post Hale Fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-07-31
Packaged: 2018-04-12 07:37:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4470815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BansheeLydia/pseuds/BansheeLydia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>written for the Teen Wolf Femslash Bingo.</p>
<p>Laura's a fashion photographer who's had a crush on her sister's best friend for months.  Things change when Lydia agrees to be her model for a shoot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	fix your gaze on me

**Author's Note:**

> kirasmalydia.tumblr.com/tagged/teen wolf femslash bingo

_Coffee_.

It was the first thought that hit Laura Hale on Sunday morning. She rolled over, squinting blearily at her clock, and groaned when she saw it was seven o’clock; she could go back to sleep, have a lie in, but Laura suffered from the problem that once she was awake, she was awake. No going back to sleep.

She also had a pounding headache. She’d stayed up late working, trying to ignore the noise coming from the main room of her apartment. If there was one thing Laura regretted, it was letting her baby sister wrap her so easily around her little finger. She’d somehow ended up agreeing to let her have some of her old friends round for some drinks, celebrating being home from college for spring break. _Drinks_ turned into a raging party, apparently, but Laura couldn’t bear to be the humiliating older sister, ruining their fun. She’d leave that kind of responsibility to Derek. He was good at it. Except, by the time Derek got home from work at three in the morning, the party had already been winding down, and he’d obviously been too tired to do anything because only minutes after Laura heard the front door slam, she heard loud snores from Derek’s bedroom.

With a stretch and a groan, Laura climbed out of the warmth of her bed, shivering slightly as her bare feet hit wooden floor. Rain pattered gently against her bedroom window; the kind of light Spring rain that was almost like a mist, doing nothing to cool the warm air. 

She didn’t want to see the mess that would be her apartment. She wasn’t ready to face kicking people out or finding wine soaked into her couch. Instead, she beelined for the bathroom and took a shower before dressing for the day.

By the time Laura headed into the main room of her apartment, she felt a little less like a zombie.

To her surprise, the place was _clean_. A gleaming kind of clean, everything tidy; no stains, no bottles piled in the trash can, no drunk teenager asleep on the floor. In fact, the only thing out of place was the familiar redhead fast asleep on the couch, tucked under a spare blanket. 

Surprised but definitely pleased, Laura headed into the kitchen. Derek had beaten her to it, still looking half asleep as he worked the coffee machine by memory more than anything. Laura wondered why he’d chosen a job with such gruelling hours when he really sucked at sleeping in late in the mornings, but then...since the accident, she kind of got why Derek wanted to be a firefighter. While she avoided fire, avoided thinking about the accident that claimed their parents’ lives, Derek had thrown himself into a role where he got to help others, got to prevent the same tragedy from happening to other families. Where he got to make a difference. It was also how he’d met his fiancé, Stiles, and Derek had never looked back since.

He wordlessly passed her a mug of coffee before leaning against the counter, sipping his own drink. Stiles wouldn’t be up for another couple of hours at least, which meant Derek would probably be going for a run when he woke up a bit more. Laura added three sugars to her coffee and slurped at it.

“Can’t believe you let her have a party,” Derek said after a while. Or, rather, grunted. No Hale was a cheerful morning person. 

“She’s in college now,” Laura defended, “She’s learning how to be an adult. Look, she cleaned up and everything.”

Derek swept a glance around the kitchen and grunted again, shrugging. 

“She’s becoming more responsible,” Laura insisted. She knew it bugged Derek when she constantly defended Cora no matter what, but then...Cora had only been young when the fire happened. She’d had it rough and Laura understood why she’d spent a few years lashing out as she’d grown up. Derek was tougher, stricter, fitting easily into the protective big brother role, but Laura couldn’t help but be softer when it came to Cora.

He shook his head but dropped it, gulping down his coffee, and set the mug in the sink. Laura grit her teeth; he knew it irked her when he or Cora put their dirty cutlery in the sink, rather than neatly on the side. He smirked in response and left the kitchen; she heard his bedroom door click shut a moment later.

“Jerk,” she muttered, finishing her own coffee.

The click of heels made her glance out of the kitchen doorway, watching as Lydia Martin, the redheaded interloper on her couch, tugged on her jacket and headed out of the apartment. She’d folded the blanket neatly and left it on the side of the couch.

It was almost noon when Cora shuffled in. Her hair was a mess and she hadn’t bothered to change out of pajamas, just tugged a blanket around herself like a cape. 

Laura grinned. “Good morning, sunshine,” she offered brightly.

Cora groaned at the noise, sliding miserably onto one of the stools at the kitchen island and dropping her head onto her arms. Laura took a bite of her sandwich, then wordlessly stood and poured a mug of coffee. She set it in front of Cora with a glass of water and Tylenol.

“Did you take some before you went to bed like I told you?”

Cora gave a morose nod. “Didn’t work. Think I’m dying.”

“You only have yourself to blame. How much did you drink last night?”

“Not much.”

“You mixed, didn’t you?” Laura shook her head. “Idiot. You’re lucky Derek’s out.”

Cora looked up, relief clear on her face at that. Laura couldn’t help but smile fondly, remembering her own college days when she got that drunk and suffered the resulting hangovers. 

“You cleaned up,” she said after a moment.

Cora shrugged. “Lydia made me. She guilt tripped me.”

She snorted; from what Cora had told Laura about her, Lydia was good at that. She finished her sandwich and tapped her fingernails against the granite countertop. She only stopped when Cora made a pained sound and reached out, flicking Laura’s hand. 

“I need Lydia’s number,” Laura said after a moment.

Cora raised her head, eyes slitted. “No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do.”

“I’m not giving you Laura’s number.”

Laura sighed, frustrated. “ _Why_?”

“Because she’s my best friend? Because she’s seven years younger than you?” Cora replied slowly. “Because the idea of the two of you getting it on grosses me out in a way I’ve never been grossed out before. And I’ve seen Stiles naked.”

Laura rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to date her, you moron.”

Which was a half lie. She didn’t want to date Lydia exactly. She wanted to twist her fingers in those red curls and kiss her breathless. Wanted to see if her skin was as soft as it looked, if her lips tasted like her cherry lipgloss. 

Which wasn’t exactly new, either. She’d been attracted to Lydia Martin for months now, since the moment she’d seen Lydia in town for the first time in years and thought _holy fuck, she grew up hot_. Lydia was gorgeous, beautiful in that effortless kind of way, but it was her natural confidence, the lift in her chin and easy smirk on her lips that really got to Laura. Lydia was a genius, a smoking hot genius, and she had the attitude to back it up. 

And it was fine. It wasn’t _illegal_. Lydia was nineteen. But she was still significantly younger. She was still in college; she had a huge future ahead of her. And she was Cora’s best friend. There was no way Laura could even go there. So she locked those feelings away, pretended like Lydia was her little sister’s friend and nothing more to her.

“Then what do you want?” Cora asked suspiciously.

“I’ve got a fashion shoot coming up for the blog,” Laura replied. “I need someone to model for me.”

“What happened to Erica?” Cora replied. 

Laura snorted. Since the sort-of thing she’d had with Erica ended (Laura had wanted casual sex; turned out Erica had wanted someone else entirely), the blonde hadn’t spoken to her. Which, Laura kind of got; it was awkward. But Erica had been her friend before they’d added the benefits, and she missed that. Plus Erica had been Laura’s go to model to wear the pieces Laura had to photograph. Erica had made it clear that wasn’t going to happen anymore.

Which didn’t mean Laura didn’t have other options. Malia, for example, was happy to do it, in return for burger and fries at the diner. She could put an advert online, or ask around her friends, but...

She had a _vision_ , okay? She’d seen the pieces and she just knew they were made to be worn by someone like Lydia. She could imagine Lydia wearing the oversized cardigan and chunky boots, laughing, walking in her concrete kingdom. She saw Lydia in the high waisted shorts and bralet, acting coy with the sun playing in her fiery hair. No one else would work. It had to be Lydia. 

“Look, just give me her number,” Laura sighed.

“Nope. Not until you say why.”

She looked down, flicking a crust across her plate. “I have a vision, alright? About what the shoot will look like. That’s why I need Lydia as the model.”

“Oh my god,” Cora said. “You’re such a douche.”

Laura gave her a frustrated look. “It’s almost like you want me to ban any parties from going on here in the future.”

“Yeah,” Cora smiled. “That won’t happen.”

_Fine. It was bribery time_. “If you give me her number, I’ll drag Derek out of the apartment next weekend so you and Isaac can have some...alone time.”

Cora’s face lit up at that. “Deal,” she said immediately.

Laura relaxed, standing to wash up as Cora grabbed a sticky notepad and a pen. She scribbled down the number, peeled it off, and stuck it on Laura’s forehead with a smirk.

“Go fulfil your _vision_ ,” she snorted.

“I hate you.”

“Nope,” Cora replied easily, finishing her coffee, looking a lot more alive and her usual sarcastic self as she opened the fridge, searching the contents.

Shaking her head, Laura tucked the note in her pocket and headed into her bedroom, closing the door on the impending disaster that was Cora cooking. Only when she was alone did she look at the note, at the number scribbled in Cora’s spider-crawl handwriting. 

_God, I’m like a highschool kid with a crush_ , she thought, frustrated with herself and her feelings, and shoved the note aside in favor of getting back to work.

***

Later, when she was alone in the apartment – Stiles and Derek working; Cora on a date with Isaac – Laura sat down on her bed, tapping her phone against her knee. She didn’t know why she felt so nervous. It wasn’t like she was going to ask Lydia out; she was just asking for a favor. Sometimes, she hated that, despite being older, she so often felt unsure and nervous around Lydia. The girl had this kind of maturity, an air of authority that carried with her everywhere she went; Laura found it exhilarating.

Finally, she saved the number into her phone under Lydia’s name, and typed out a quick message, pressing send before she could work herself up about it.

_This is Laura. I need a favor_.

She waited. Waited some more. When half an hour passed and she realized she was just staring at her phone like an idiot, she frowned and pushed herself to her feet. She grabbed her laptop and headed into the kitchen, video calling Braeden as she cooked. 

It was while she was pouring a generous amount of wine into the pan for her sauce that her phone buzzed. She stirred the sauce, turned the heat down low, and glanced over to Braeden – who’d turned her own attention to a movie – before wiping her hands and grabbing her phone. A text, from Lydia.

_Yes?_

It was just so _Lydia_ that Laura rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a smile before she replied.

_I’ve got a fashion piece coming up. I need you as a model_.

She tapped her fingertip against her lip as she waited, praying that Lydia’s answer would be yes. Not just because it meant she’d get to spend some time with her.

Laura had been lucky to land the job straight after college. The fashion blog she worked for had started out small and local, but had taken off into a national business, with plenty of writers, photographers, and designers working for the blog. It focused on fashion pieces, mostly, showcasing up and coming designers and pieces, blogging fashion shows and events. It had its own boutique. Laura was one of the first photographers they’d taken on and four years later, she was in charge of the other photographers and assessing each photo selection for editing and posting on the blog. It was great money and it incorporated what Laura’s passion in life was: photography. While she hadn’t thought she’d ended up in fashion photography specifically, it turned out, it was perfect for her.

She loved her job. And she was dedicated to doing the best job she could. She’d been assigned to do a shoot, showcasing several pieces from a new designer the blog wanted to thrust into the public eye, and it was a big job, but she was looking forward to it. She had a keen eye for what would look good, what and who would accentuate the clothes, and what would work best. She knew Lydia was ideal for this, which was why she was so determined to convince her to be the model. She wanted to do an amazing job on this.

Finally, her phone buzzed in her hand, drawing her attention to it.

_Sorry, but not my thing_.

Laura sighed, leaning her head back in frustration. 

_Please?_ She text back. _You get to wear some really great clothes and pose for a couple of hours_. 

_Wow_ , the response was instant. _Amazing. Still no_.

Laura could tell that was going to be the final answer and she groaned, setting her phone onto the counter. Braeden paused, raising an eyebrow at her, and she wordlessly shook her head in a _don’t even ask_ kind of gesture.

Damn frustrating, gorgeous redheads. 

***

“Lydia.”

The younger girl didn’t look up from her laptop. Laura sighed and hovered by the table. The scent of coffee and cake filled her nose, but the coffee shop was pretty quiet; most people were out, enjoying a rare, scorching hot day. 

After a moment, Lydia twisted a curl around her index finger and looked at Laura. “Can I help you?”

Laura narrowed her eyes and sat down. “I’ll pay you.”

Lydia smiled at that. “Honey, I don’t need your money.”

Which was true. Lydia came from a pretty well off family. But Laura couldn’t figure out what else Lydia could want in exchange for doing the shoot and it was frustrating.

“What can I do in return for this favor?” she asked.

Lydia’s smile widened and she released her hair, leaning forward. “That grey sweater you wore the other day,” she said, “That’s a one off Roisin Wolflake, isn’t it?”

Laura paused for a second, caught off guard by that. She knew exactly the sweater Lydia was talking about. She’d had it for just six months. After she was involved in arranging a show of Wolflake’s new spring collection, the designer had given her one of only five limited edition sweaters she’d designed. It was soft, made of expensive, almost silky wool, sleek and comfy, and the most gorgeous shade of blue-caressed grey, with a little edging of lace on the collar. It was her favorite sweater.

“Yes,” she replied slowly, stomach sinking. “You want the sweater.”

Lydia smiled. “I want the sweater.”

Laura shook her head. “No way.”

Lydia shrugged and packed her laptop away, standing. “Well, good luck with the shoot,” she offered, heading for the door.

Laura groaned. She could tell Lydia where to go. She could find someone else to model the clothes and do the shoot without Lydia. If she was feeling particularly passive aggressive, she could wear the sweater next time Lydia came over. But...her _vision_.

“Wait.”

Lydia stopped and turned, tilting her head with an expectant smile. 

“Fine,” Laura said. “You can have the sweater.”

Lydia positively _beamed_ and Laura was too caught off guard, almost breathless from the beauty of the smile, to be annoyed for a second. It only hit her after Lydia had said, “Deal. Let me know when you want me,” and left, and she scowled.

_Damn it_.

***

The clothes were delivered to her door by courier. 

Laura carefully hung them on a rack. She looked through them, then text Lydia to arrange the shoot. The weekend was supposed to have good weather and she already had the perfect shots in mind. 

When Saturday rolled around, Laura was setting everything up when there was a knock on the door. She felt a flutter in her stomach and took a deep breath, wiping her hands on her jeans before moving to the front door.

“Hey,” Lydia breezed into the apartment, a flurry of glossy hair, high heels and sweet, floral perfume. 

“Hi,” Laura offered, closing the door and watching Lydia completely make herself at home in her apartment, like she usually did when Cora had her over. “Where’s Cora?”

“She told Derek she was going to the library,” Laura said.

Lydia gave her a knowing smile and Laura couldn’t help but grin.

“And, yeah, I know that usually means she’s going to go skate outside the library,” she added. “Derek’s at the station.” She didn’t know why she tacked that on, but she figured Lydia would be more comfortable knowing she wouldn’t be interrupted when she was changing clothes.

Lydia relaxed slightly at that and nodded. “Okay,” she said. “Where do I start?”

Laura moved to the rack, picking out a soft blue sweater and high waisted black slacks. She wordlessly held them out, but paused when Lydia stood to take them.

“Be careful with them,” she said. “If any damage happens to the clothes, it comes out of my pay. And I don’t think I can afford these clothes.”

Lydia wrapped her hand around Laura’s hand, giving a quick sweep over her knuckles with her thumb. “I know,” she said softly. “I’ll be careful.”

Laura nodded and let Lydia take the clothes. The shorter girl headed into the bathroom to change and Laura finished setting up. 

When Lydia returned, she’d opted to wear her own nude heels with the outfit, and it looked good on her. She’d kept her make up minimal, which was also good; it meant Laura could alter it as she pleased for different photos. 

“Let your hair loose,” she said.

Lydia slid the tie off the end of the braid, undoing it with long, nimble fingers until her hair hung over one shoulder in gentle waves. 

Laura directed her to stand in front of her white screen and lifted the camera around her neck. She didn’t bother with any of her more technical kit; with this, she knew it would be perfect with just Lydia and the camera, nothing fancy. 

She opened her mouth to give her directions, but it turned out Lydia was like a professional, working the camera expertly. Her smiles were large and genuine, eyes laughing, making her look soft and warm in the clothes.

It continued like that, until Laura took her out of the apartment. It was going to take a while, having to return to the apartment for each wardrobe change, but Laura just didn’t have the crew for anything easier, but that was fine. She preferred it this way, just her and Lydia.

Lydia, who was a _natural_. She pulled off every single look, from edgy, to dangerous, to seductive. The clothes were perfect on her and Laura tried to focus on the task, tried to tell herself that her attention was on every detail – the graffiti-coated wall behind Laura, the sun shining in just the right spot, the gentle turn of Lydia’s leg to show off the high waisted shorts – but it was hard, when she had no real choice but to watch Lydia through the lens, to keep getting caught off guard by how naturally beautiful the girl was.

The underwear pictures were the worst. Lydia knew just how to drape her cardigan over her elbows, exposing pale shoulders. She knew how to push her curls over one side of her face, looking straight at the camera, vulnerable, coy. And she knew how to bite her full lower lip and look up under her lashes, the graceful line of her throat exposed in an obvious show of seduction.

Want, hot and electric, shot down Laura’s spine, curled up and took residence in her gut. 

The final pictures were in the preserve. This was the crucial part of Laura’s vision. All of the photos so far had been perfect, just what she’d imagined, but this was the most important one. She wanted Lydia to look wild, like mother nature wrapped in a hurricane, as she showed off an oversized blouse and leather shorts, beautiful and animalistic among the trees.

They found the right spot, a small clearing in the trees, with a stream running in the background and the sun shining just right. Laura told Lydia what she wanted and the younger girl suited it, playing it as easily as all the other masks she’d worn for this. It had Laura’s heart pounding, want – _need_ – coiled in her stomach.

She was doing the last few shots when Lydia just...stopped. Laura paused, raising her head and lifting one eyebrow, unable to do anything but just watch as Lydia reached for the top button on her blouse.

“What are you...?”

“Ssh,” Lydia hushed her softly.

Laura swallowed but obliged, listening to the quiet sounds of the woods around them as Lydia slowly, teasingly unbuttoned her blouse. She slid it down her shoulders and off, folding it carefully and setting it on top of Laura’s camera bag. Then, in just her bra and the shorts, she looked at Laura, chin lifted in challenge.

“Well,” she said, when Laura remained silent, awestruck, “I figured if you weren’t going to make the move, I should.”

She _did_ move then, carefully placing the camera aside and crossing the distance between them. Lydia’s lips parted, just slightly, as their bodies pressed together, and Laura smirked, sliding an arm around her waist and pressing her lips to hers in a hard, demanding kiss.

The shorter girl shivered against her, hands going to her hips as she kissed her back, and Laura could only think, _Cora’s going to kill me_.

***

_No...nope...still not appropriate_...

Laura sat at the kitchen table, flicking through the photos she’d loaded onto her laptop. They were gorgeous, exactly as she’d imagined, and she couldn’t wait to post them for the fashion piece. 

It was just several of them had to be removed from the selection. Ones of Lydia’s back arching, her lips parted, her soft skin flushed. Ones of Laura’s lips on Lydia’s body, their legs tangled together. It had been Lydia’s idea and Laura had almost moaned, complying. But that meant those...not so appropriate photos now had to be deleted. 

She looked up as Lydia padded into the room, wearing a pair of Laura’s boyshorts and the soft grey designer sweater. It looked good on her, clinging to the curve of her breasts, falling just to the top of her thighs. She wordlessly sat down on Laura’s lap, wrapping an arm around her neck and kissing her.

“Hi,” she said.

Laura smiled. “Hi,” she returned, voice soft. “It looks good on you.” 

Lydia hummed, tracing her thumb over Laura’s collarbone, smiling when Laura traced gentle patterns on her knee in response. “Maybe we can share it,” she suggested coyly.

Laura smiled and leaned in, kissing her again.

“Perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> kirasmalydia.tumblr.com - come say hello? :)


End file.
